Letter to the Editor: Recent food bank lines reminder of neighbors’ struggles

Carleigh wrote this Letter to the Editor for the Laconia Daily Sun

At the Pumpkin Fest in Laconia last weekend, I heard stories that have become all too familiar in New Hampshire: parents skipping meals so their children can eat, families rationing groceries, and food pantries facing record demand. And it’s about to get worse.

At the end of October, the USDA announced that it lacked the funds needed to cover SNAP benefits in November. Nearly 80,000 people in New Hampshire — over 5% of our state's total population — rely on SNAP benefits to feed themselves and their families.

In response, our government released $2 million in emergency funding to the New Hampshire Food Bank, which will be used to expand the Food Bank’s mobile food pantry program. Under the plan, the Food Bank will open up to 20 locations across the state, twice a week for the next 5 weeks, to provide food to SNAP participants.

But that one-time appropriation of $2 million doesn’t even come CLOSE to replacing the $12.8 million in federal funding per month that Granite Staters are at risk of losing.

This crisis isn’t limited to the unemployed or those out of sight. It affects working people, seniors, and now, increasing numbers of federal workers in our communities.

During the current government shutdown, furloughed — and in some cases, like the men and women at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, unpaid — federal employees are standing in line at food banks. Not because they did anything wrong, but because Washington failed them.

Many of us who work with kids know that while food insecurity is often invisible, it’s everywhere. It’s a symptom of systemic challenges — rising costs, stagnant wages, unexpected emergencies, and federal programs under threat just when they're needed most.

We need leaders who understand no one should have to choose between paying rent and feeding their kids — and who treat hunger as an emergency requiring real action, not partisan debate.

I love this state because people here take pride in helping neighbors. It’s time our government matched that spirit with action.

In the meantime, if you need support or would like to offer support, visit the New Hampshire Food Bank website to find a location or make a donation.

Thank you for supporting your community in whatever way you can. And I hope you and your family are doing ok during these difficult times. If you’re not, please reach out and let us know how we can help.

— Carleigh